The Trans-Canada Highway near Avondale will be closed for about four days starting Friday as a long-awaited culvert replacement finally gets underway.

Starting 6:30 Friday evening, the highway near Avondale will close to traffic and will not re-open until Tuesday. Work was scheduled to begin last weekend but was postponed due to the remnants of Hurricane Dorian.

Transportation and Works Minister Steve Crocker says he feels the decision to keep safety in mind was the right one.

Plans were initially set in motion when deterioration was discovered along the two existing culverts, which were installed almost 30 years ago.

Minister Crocker says the new culvert is about 270 feet long and 14 feet in diameter—its three segments weighing about 50 tonnes each.

Vehicles driving above it are not expected to have much effect, as the culvert will be buried about 26-feet deep.

 

Traffic to Detour Through Avondale, Salmonier Line

The highway is currently down to one lane in each direction as crews do preliminary work. However, detours through Avondale and Salmonier Line will come into effect on Friday.

While the detour would naturally add time onto one’s commute in ideal conditions, officials are advising drivers to plan well in advance if hitting the highway over the four-day period.